Object detection in multiple radars

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided for controlling a radar system of a vehicle. One or more transmitters are configured to transmit radar signals. A plurality of receivers are configured to receive return radar signals after the transmitted radar signals are deflected from an object proximate the vehicle. A processor is coupled to the plurality of receivers in order to determine when a plurality of detected objects correspond to a single object and to track the single object in a dynamic environment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to vehicles, and moreparticularly relates to methods and radar systems for vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Certain vehicles today utilize radar systems. For example, certainvehicles utilize radar systems to detect other vehicles, pedestrians, orother objects on a road in which the vehicle is travelling. Radarsystems may be used in this manner, for example, in implementingautomatic braking systems, adaptive cruise control, and avoidancefeatures, among other vehicle features. Certain vehicle radar systems,called multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) radar systems, havemultiple transmitters and receivers. While radar systems are generallyuseful for such vehicle features, in certain situations existing radarsystems may have certain limitations.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved techniques for radarsystem performance in vehicles, for example for classification ofobjects using MIMO radar systems and, in particular, to reduce thenumber of objects actively tracked by the radars. It is also desirableto provide methods, systems, and vehicles utilizing such techniques.Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the presentinvention will be apparent from the subsequent detailed description andthe appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsand the foregoing technical field and background.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method is provided forcontrolling a radar system of a vehicle, the radar system having aplurality of receivers. The method comprises receiving a first pluralityof radar echoes indicating a first target point, a second target point,a third target point, and a fourth target point, determining a firstvelocity associated with the first target point, a second velocityassociated with the second target point, a third velocity associatedwith the third target point, and a fourth velocity associated with thefourth target point, establishing a first cluster in response to thefirst velocity and the second velocity being similar and the firsttarget point and the second target point having a close proximity,establishing a second cluster in response to the third velocity and thefourth velocity being similar and the third target point and the fourthtarget point having a close proximity, tracking the first cluster andthe second cluster in response to a second plurality of radar echoes.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a radar control system for avehicle is provided. The radar apparatus comprises a transmitter fortransmitting a first plurality of radar pulses and a second plurality ofradar pulses, a receiver for receiving a first plurality of radar echoescorresponding to a plurality of object detection points, the receiverfurther operative to receive a second plurality of radar echoes, acluster processor for determining a location and a velocity for each ofthe plurality of object detection points and for determining a firstcluster from at least one of the plurality of object detection pointsand for determining a second cluster from at least one other of theplurality of object detection points wherein the first cluster and thesecond cluster are determined in response to the location and thevelocity of each of the plurality of object detection points, and amemory for storing a first velocity and a first location associated withthe first cluster and a second velocity and a second location associatedwith the second cluster, and a tracking processor for accessing thememory and tracking the first cluster and the second cluster and forupdating the first velocity and the first location and the secondvelocity and the second location in response to the second plurality ofradar echoes

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus is provided.The apparatus comprises an antenna for receiving a first plurality ofradar echoes indicating a first target point, a second target point, athird target point, and a fourth target point and a second plurality ofradar echoes, a memory for storing a tracking list, and a processor fordetermining a first velocity associated with the first target point, asecond velocity associated with the second target point, a thirdvelocity associated with the third target point, and a fourth velocityassociated with the fourth target point, establishing a first cluster inresponse to the first velocity and the second velocity being similar andthe first target point and the second target point having a closeproximity, establishing a second cluster in response to the thirdvelocity and the fourth velocity being similar and the third targetpoint and the fourth target point having a close proximity, theprocessor further operative to add the first cluster and the secondcluster to the tracking list, and to tracking the first cluster and thesecond cluster in response to a second plurality of radar echoes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote likeelements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle having a controlsystem, including a radar system, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control system of thevehicle of FIG. 1, including the radar system, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a transmission channel and areceiving channel of the radar system of FIGS. 1 and 2, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4A shows an exemplary environment for implementing a system andmethod for static clutter mitigation for dynamic target localization inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4B shows an exemplary environment for implementing a system andmethod for static clutter mitigation for dynamic target localizationwherein the targets are displayed as target detections over a number ofradar cycles in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows an apparatus for static clutter mitigation for dynamictarget localization 500.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a method for static clutter mitigation fordynamic target localization in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a method for clustering a plurality of radar echoes inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and isnot intended to limit the disclosure or the application and usesthereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theorypresented in the preceding background or the following detaileddescription. As used herein, the term module refers to any hardware,software, firmware, electronic control component, processing logic,and/or processor device, individually or in any combination, includingwithout limitation: application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), anelectronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memorythat executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinationallogic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide thedescribed functionality.

FIG. 1 provides a functional block diagram of vehicle 10, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment. As described in further detail greaterbelow, the vehicle 10 includes a radar control system 12 having a radarsystem 103 and a controller 104 that classifies objects based upon athree dimensional representation of the objects using received radarsignals of the radar system 103.

In the depicted embodiment, the vehicle 10 also includes a chassis 112,a body 114, four wheels 116, an electronic control system 118, asteering system 150, and a braking system 160. The body 114 is arrangedon the chassis 112 and substantially encloses the other components ofthe vehicle 10. The body 114 and the chassis 112 may jointly form aframe. The wheels 116 are each rotationally coupled to the chassis 112near a respective corner of the body 114.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10includes an actuator assembly 120. The actuator assembly 120 includes atleast one propulsion system 129 mounted on the chassis 112 that drivesthe wheels 116. In the depicted embodiment, the actuator assembly 120includes an engine 130. In one embodiment, the engine 130 comprises acombustion engine. In other embodiments, the actuator assembly 120 mayinclude one or more other types of engines and/or motors, such as anelectric motor/generator, instead of or in addition to the combustionengine.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the engine 130 is coupled to at least some ofthe wheels 116 through one or more drive shafts 134. In someembodiments, the engine 130 is also mechanically coupled to atransmission. In other embodiments, the engine 130 may instead becoupled to a generator used to power an electric motor that ismechanically coupled to a transmission.

The steering system 150 is mounted on the chassis 112, and controlssteering of the wheels 116. The steering system 150 includes a steeringwheel and a steering column (not depicted). The steering wheel receivesinputs from a driver of the vehicle 10. The steering column results indesired steering angles for the wheels 116 via the drive shafts 134based on the inputs from the driver.

The braking system 160 is mounted on the chassis 112, and providesbraking for the vehicle 10. The braking system 160 receives inputs fromthe driver via a brake pedal (not depicted), and provides appropriatebraking via brake units (also not depicted). The driver also providesinputs via an accelerator pedal (not depicted) as to a desired speed oracceleration of the vehicle 10, as well as various other inputs forvarious vehicle devices and/or systems, such as one or more vehicleradios, other entertainment or infotainment systems, environmentalcontrol systems, lightning units, navigation systems, and the like (notdepicted in FIG. 1).

Also as depicted in FIG. 1, in certain embodiments the vehicle 10 mayalso include a telematics system 170. In one such embodiment thetelematics system 170 is an onboard device that provides a variety ofservices through communication with a call center (not depicted) remotefrom the vehicle 10. In various embodiments the telematics system mayinclude, among other features, various non-depicted features such as anelectronic processing device, one or more types of electronic memory, acellular chipset/component, a wireless modem, a dual mode antenna, and anavigation unit containing a GPS chipset/component. In certainembodiments, certain of such components may be included in thecontroller 104, for example as discussed further below in connectionwith FIG. 2. The telematics system 170 may provide various servicesincluding: turn-by-turn directions and other navigation-related servicesprovided in conjunction with the GPS chipset/component, airbagdeployment notification and other emergency or roadsideassistance-related services provided in connection with various sensorsand/or sensor interface modules located throughout the vehicle, and/orinfotainment-related services such as music, internet web pages, movies,television programs, videogames, and/or other content.

The radar control system 12 is mounted on the chassis 112. As mentionedabove, the radar control system 12 classifies objects based upon a threedimensional representation of the objects using received radar signalsof the radar system 103. In one example, the radar control system 12provides these functions in accordance with the method 400 describedfurther below in connection with FIG. 4.

While the radar control system 12, the radar system 103, and thecontroller 104 are depicted as being part of the same system, it will beappreciated that in certain embodiments these features may comprise twoor more systems. In addition, in various embodiments the radar controlsystem 12 may comprise all or part of, and/or may be coupled to, variousother vehicle devices and systems, such as, among others, the actuatorassembly 120, and/or the electronic control system 118.

With reference to FIG. 2, a functional block diagram is provided for theradar control system 12 of FIG. 1, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment. As noted above, the radar control system 12 includes theradar system 103 and the controller 104 of FIG. 1.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the radar system 103 includes one or moretransmitters 220, one or more receivers 222, a memory 224, and aprocessing unit 226. In the depicted embodiment, the radar system 103comprises a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) radar system withmultiple transmitters (also referred to herein as transmission channels)220 and multiple receivers (also referred to herein as receivingchannels) 222. The transmitters 220 transmit radar signals for the radarsystem 103. After the transmitted radar signals contact one or moreobjects on or near a road on which the vehicle 10 is travelling and isreflected/redirected toward the radar system 103, the redirected radarsignals are received by the receivers 222 of the radar system 103 forprocessing.

With reference to FIG. 3, a representative one of the transmissionchannels 220 is depicted along with a respective one of the receivingchannels 222 of the radar system of FIG. 3, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment. As depicted in FIG. 3, each transmitting channel220 includes a signal generator 302, a filter 304, an amplifier 306, andan antenna 308. Also as depicted in FIG. 3, each receiving channel 222includes an antenna 310, an amplifier 312, a mixer 314, and asampler/digitizer 316. In certain embodiments the antennas 308, 310 maycomprise a single antenna, while in other embodiments the antennas 308,310 may comprise separate antennas. Similarly, in certain embodimentsthe amplifiers 306, 312 may comprise a single amplifier, while in otherembodiments the amplifiers 306, 312 may comprise separate amplifiers. Inaddition, in certain embodiments multiple transmitting channels 220 mayshare one or more of the signal generators 302, filters 304, amplifiers306, and/or antennae 308. Likewise, in certain embodiments, multiplereceiving channels 222 may share one or more of the antennae 310,amplifiers 312, mixers 314, and/or samplers/digitizers 316.

The radar system 103 generates the transmittal radar signals via thesignal generator(s) 302. The transmittal radar signals are filtered viathe filter(s) 304, amplified via the amplifier(s) 306, and transmittedfrom the radar system 103 (and from the vehicle 10 to which the radarsystem 103 belongs, also referred to herein as the “host vehicle”) viathe antenna(e) 308. The transmitting radar signals subsequently contactother vehicles and/or other objects on or alongside the road on whichthe host vehicle 10 is travelling. After contacting the other vehiclesand/or other objects, the radar signals are reflected, and travel fromthe other vehicles and/or other objects in various directions, includingsome signals returning toward the host vehicle 10. The radar signalsreturning to the host vehicle 10 (also referred to herein as receivedradar signals) are received by the antenna(e) 310, amplified by theamplifier(s) 312, mixed by the mixer(s) 314, and digitized by thesampler(s)/digitizer(s) 316.

Returning to FIG. 2, the radar system 103 also includes, among otherpossible features, the memory 224 and the processing unit 226. Thememory 224 stores information received by the receiver 222 and/or theprocessing unit 226. In certain embodiments, such functions may beperformed, in whole or in part, by a memory 242 of a computer system 232(discussed further below).

The processing unit 226 processes the information obtained by thereceivers 222 for classification of objects based upon a threedimensional representation of the objects using received radar signalsof the radar system 103. The processing unit 226 of the illustratedembodiment is capable of executing one or more programs (i.e., runningsoftware) to perform various tasks instructions encoded in theprogram(s). The processing unit 226 may include one or moremicroprocessors, microcontrollers, application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), or other suitable device as realized by those skilledin the art, such as, by way of example, electronic control component,processing logic, and/or processor device, individually or in anycombination, including without limitation: application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared,dedicated, or group) and memory that executes one or more software orfirmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitablecomponents that provide the described functionality.

In certain embodiments, the radar system 103 may include multiplememories 224 and/or processing units 226, working together orseparately, as is also realized by those skilled in the art. Inaddition, it is noted that in certain embodiments, the functions of thememory 224, and/or the processing unit 226 may be performed in whole orin part by one or more other memories, interfaces, and/or processorsdisposed outside the radar system 103, such as the memory 242 and theprocessor 240 of the controller 104 described further below.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the controller 104 is coupled to the radar system103. Similar to the discussion above, in certain embodiments thecontroller 104 may be disposed in whole or in part within or as part ofthe radar system 103. In addition, in certain embodiments, thecontroller 104 is also coupled to one or more other vehicle systems(such as the electronic control system 118 of FIG. 1). The controller104 receives and processes the information sensed or determined from theradar system 103, provides detection, classification, and tracking ofbased upon a three dimensional representation of the objects usingreceived radar signals of the radar system 103, and implementsappropriate vehicle actions based on this information. The controller104 generally performs these functions in accordance with the method 400discussed further below in connection with FIGS. 4-6.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the controller 104 comprises the computer system232. In certain embodiments, the controller 104 may also include theradar system 103, one or more components thereof, and/or one or moreother systems. In addition, it will be appreciated that the controller104 may otherwise differ from the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2. Forexample, the controller 104 may be coupled to or may otherwise utilizeone or more remote computer systems and/or other control systems, suchas the electronic control system 118 of FIG. 1.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the computer system 232 includes the processor240, the memory 242, an interface 244, a storage device 246, and a bus248. The processor 240 performs the computation and control functions ofthe controller 104, and may comprise any type of processor or multipleprocessors, single integrated circuits such as a microprocessor, or anysuitable number of integrated circuit devices and/or circuit boardsworking in cooperation to accomplish the functions of a processing unit.In one embodiment, the processor 240 classifies objects using radarsignal spectrogram data in combination with one or more computer visionmodels. During operation, the processor 240 executes one or moreprograms 250 contained within the memory 242 and, as such, controls thegeneral operation of the controller 104 and the computer system 232,generally in executing the processes described herein, such as those ofthe method 400 described further below in connection with FIGS. 4-6.

The memory 242 can be any type of suitable memory. This would includethe various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as SDRAM,the various types of static RAM (SRAM), and the various types ofnon-volatile memory (PROM, EPROM, and flash). In certain examples, thememory 242 is located on and/or co-located on the same computer chip asthe processor 240. In the depicted embodiment, the memory 242 stores theabove-referenced program 250 along with one or more stored values 252(such as, by way of example, information from the received radar signalsand the spectrograms therefrom).

The bus 248 serves to transmit programs, data, status and otherinformation or signals between the various components of the computersystem 232. The interface 244 allows communication to the computersystem 232, for example from a system driver and/or another computersystem, and can be implemented using any suitable method and apparatus.The interface 244 can include one or more network interfaces tocommunicate with other systems or components. In one embodiment, theinterface 244 includes a transceiver. The interface 244 may also includeone or more network interfaces to communicate with technicians, and/orone or more storage interfaces to connect to storage apparatuses, suchas the storage device 246.

The storage device 246 can be any suitable type of storage apparatus,including direct access storage devices such as hard disk drives, flashsystems, floppy disk drives and optical disk drives. In one exemplaryembodiment, the storage device 246 comprises a program product fromwhich memory 242 can receive a program 250 that executes one or moreembodiments of one or more processes of the present disclosure, such asthe method 400 (and any sub-processes thereof) described further belowin connection with FIGS. 4-6. In another exemplary embodiment, theprogram product may be directly stored in and/or otherwise accessed bythe memory 242 and/or a disk (e.g., disk 254), such as that referencedbelow.

The bus 248 can be any suitable physical or logical means of connectingcomputer systems and components. This includes, but is not limited to,direct hard-wired connections, fiber optics, infrared and wireless bustechnologies. During operation, the program 250 is stored in the memory242 and executed by the processor 240.

It will be appreciated that while this exemplary embodiment is describedin the context of a fully functioning computer system, those skilled inthe art will recognize that the mechanisms of the present disclosure arecapable of being distributed as a program product with one or more typesof non-transitory computer-readable signal bearing media used to storethe program and the instructions thereof and carry out the distributionthereof, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium bearing theprogram and containing computer instructions stored therein for causinga computer processor (such as the processor 240) to perform and executethe program. Such a program product may take a variety of forms, and thepresent disclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type ofcomputer-readable signal bearing media used to carry out thedistribution. Examples of signal bearing media include: recordable mediasuch as floppy disks, hard drives, memory cards and optical disks, andtransmission media such as digital and analog communication links. Itwill similarly be appreciated that the computer system 232 may alsootherwise differ from the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, for example inthat the computer system 232 may be coupled to or may otherwise utilizeone or more remote computer systems and/or other control systems.

Turning now to FIG. 4A, an exemplary environment for implementing asystem and method for static clutter mitigation for dynamic targetlocalization is shown. FIG. 4A depicts an environment with a radarequipped vehicle 410, transmitting and receiving radar pulses 440. Theenvironment further comprises dynamic, or moving, targets 420 andstatic, or stationary, targets 430. For a radar equipped vehicle, thetypical operating environment is extremely dense, with a majority oftargets being static, such as the road, buildings, parked vehicles,trees, etc. Thus, mapping of the environment in the presence of bothdynamic and static objects is a challenging task due to requirements forthe efficient radar resource allocation.

FIG. 4B depicts the environment in wherein the targets are displayed astarget detections over a number of radar cycles. The radar equippedvehicle 415 is operative to transmit and receive radar pulses 445. Thetargets are now represented by a number of target detections, includingdynamic 425 and stationary 435 targets. Targets detected are representedas a cluster of detection points due to movement of the vehicle and thetarget, nonuniformity of the targets and noise in the system andenvironment among other things.

The ability to accurately localize and classify objects is partiallydependent on the observation interval. Thus, static clutter can belocalized much more accurately than moving objects. It would bedesirable to exploit the ability to accurately detect and localizestatic clutter to “clean up” the cluttered scene in order to improvedynamic objects detection and localization.

Turning now to FIG. 5, an apparatus for static clutter mitigation fordynamic target localization 500 is shown. The apparatus is, according toan exemplary embodiment, operative to localize the objects within afield of view. The apparatus is used to, localize, or determine theposition, of the objects by determining their position either relativeto the host vehicle or to some global reference coordinate. Localizingmay include determining the range azimuth and elevation angles of thetarget with respect to the host vehicle and its velocity. Furthermore,the apparatus 500 may be operative to determine which objects are staticand what are dynamic helps in scene understanding, since there are verymany radar echoes form static objects and much less from dynamic, interms of computational complexity it requires to make sure that weallocate sufficient resources to dynamic objects. In addition,processing of radar echoes form dynamic vs. static objects may be verydifferent. Typical scenario for automotive radar consists of multipleevery strong, large size, echoes form static objects and few muchweaker, small size, such as pedestrian, dynamic objects. Thus staticobjects can mask dynamic objects. Therefore it would be desirable tofirst to filter our radar echoes from the static object in order todetect dynamic objects.

The apparatus 500 has a first antenna 505 and a second antenna 510 fortransmitting and receiving radar pulses. The antennas may be a singleelement antenna or an array of antenna elements, such as an antennaarray wherein the elements of the antenna array are connected in a wayin order to combine the received signals in a specified amplitude andphase relationships. Each of the antenna elements may be coupled to anamplifier and/or phase shifter.

Each of the first antenna 505 and the second antenna 510 may be a phasedarray, which employs a plurality of fixed antenna elements in which therelative phases of the respective signals fed to the fixed antennaelements may be adjusted in a way which alters the effective radiationpattern of the antenna array such the gain of the array is reinforced ina desired direction and suppressed in undesired directions. This has thedesirable effect of allowing a stationary antenna array to beincorporated into a vehicle body while still allowing the field of viewof the antenna to be increased.

The first antenna 505 and the second antenna 510 are coupled to a firstA/D converter 515 and a second A/D converter 520 respectively. The firstA/D converter 515 and the second A/D converter 520 are operative toconvert the received radar echos in the signal return path to a digitalrepresentation of the received radar echos. The digital representationsof the received radar echos are coupled to a first digital signalprocessor 525 and a second digital signal processor 530 for furthersignal processing. The outputs of the first digital signal processor 525and a second digital signal processor 530 are coupled to a joint signalprocessor 540.

The joint signal processor 540 is operative to process the data receivedfrom the first digital signal processor 525 and a second digital signalprocessor 530 in order to perform object detection, object determinationand recognition and parameter estimation. The joint signal processor 540is further operative to track the determined objects according toaspects of the exemplary embodiments. The joint signal processor 540 maythen generate an object list which is stored to memory 505 and mayfurther be operative to generate an object map used for autonomousdriving and/or obstacle avoidance.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a flowchart of a method for static cluttermitigation for dynamic target localization 600 is shown. The proposedmethod has the desired benefits of increased accuracy of localization ofthe both static and dynamic objects, simplification of the complex sceneperception, and optimized radar resource management. The radar systemsare first operative to transmit and receive operate at a shortobservation time 605. The radar system then accumulates in memory, thelocation and velocity of the determined detections 610.

The method is then operative to cluster the detections into objects inresponse to the location and the velocity of the detections 620. Forexample, if the detections are proximate to each other, and they arehave similar velocities, it may be assumed that the detections are allon the same object. Therefore, this cluster of detections are then savedas a single object for tracking purposes.

The method is then operative to estimate if objects are dynamic orstatic taking into account the vehicle velocity and the angular locationof the objects with respect to the vehicle 630. The system is thenoperative to transmit and receive radar pulses over a longer observationtime 640. Over the longer observation time, the dynamic clusters mayspread in the Doppler and the static objects can be more accuratelylocalized.

The method is then operative to determine if an object is static ordynamic 650. If an object is determined to be static, the method mayeither discard the object from tracking, radar echoes from the staticobject may be cancelled by the processor, and/or the location of thestatic objects may be saved to a memory 660. The static object may berepresented in a mapping of the environment for autonomous drivingoperations. Once the static objects are identified, the remainingdynamic objects are then tracked and more accurately estimated andlocalized 670 due to the reduced processing requirements for objecttracking. After a period of time, the method may be operative to repeatthe procedure in order to determine the location of new objects enteringthe environment.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a method for clustering a plurality of radarechoes 700 is shown. The method is first operative to transmit a firstplurality of radar pulses and to receive a first plurality of radarechoes corresponding to the first plurality of radar pulses 705. Themethod then processes the first plurality of radar echoes to determine alocation and velocity for objects detected within the field of view ofthe radar 710. A method then compares the locations and velocities ofthe detected objects to determine if any of the detected objects aremultiple detections of the same object 720, and if so, classifies theobjects into a cluster. For example, if two proximate detected objectshave the same velocity, where the velocity indicates speed anddirection, then the system assumes that the proximate detected objectsare one object and generates a cluster indicative of the object. Themethod then updates a list of object to be tracked, with the locationand velocity of the cluster 730. An average velocity for an object maybe calculated for a cluster over a number of radar echoes. Thus, fromthe average velocity of the cluster, the object may be determined to bestatic or dynamic.

The method is then operative to transmit a second plurality of radarpulses and to receive a second plurality of radar echoes correspondingto the cluster 740. The method is then operative to determine thelocation and velocity of the cluster 740 and to update the list ofobject to be tracked 730. Periodically, the system is operative toreturn to step 705 and to generate a new list of detected objects andclusters do establish if any new objects have entered the field of viewor to determine if a determined cluster was multiple objects, or todetermine if multiple clusters were a single object. The tracking may beperformed by a tracking processor, such as the joint signal processor540 of FIG. 5, or a single processor may be used in place of the firstdigital signal processor 525 and a second digital signal processor 530and the joint signal processor 540 of FIG. 5.

It will be appreciated that the disclosed methods, systems, and vehiclesmay vary from those depicted in the Figures and described herein. Forexample, the vehicle 10, the radar control system 12, the radar system103, the controller 104, and/or various components thereof may vary fromthat depicted in FIGS. 1-3 and described in connection therewith.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in theforegoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vastnumber of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that theexemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and arenot intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of thedisclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description willprovide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map forimplementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. Itshould be understood that various changes can be made in the functionand arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of theappended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of processing radar target pointscomprising: receiving a first plurality of radar echoes indicating afirst target point, a second target point, a third target point, and afourth target point; determining a first velocity associated with thefirst target point, a second velocity associated with the second targetpoint, a third velocity associated with the third target point, and afourth velocity associated with the fourth target point; establishing afirst cluster in response to the first velocity and the second velocitybeing similar and the first target point and the second target pointhaving a close proximity; establishing a second cluster in response tothe third velocity and the fourth velocity being similar and the thirdtarget point and the fourth target point having a close proximity; andtracking the first cluster and the second cluster in response to asecond plurality of radar echoes.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein thefirst velocity indicates a first direction and a first speed, the secondvelocity indicates a second direction and a second speed, the thirdvelocity indicates a third direction and a third speed, and the fourthvelocity indicates a fourth direction and a fourth speed.
 3. The methodof claim 1 wherein the first velocity and the second velocity beingsimilar is indicated by an average first velocity and an average secondvelocity being the same over a time duration.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein the first target point and the second target point beingproximate is indicated by an average distance over a time duration. 5.The method of claim 1 wherein the first target point and the secondtarget point are deemed proximate in response to an average firstvelocity and an average second velocity.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein the first cluster is deemed to be a dynamic object in responseto an average first velocity and the second object is deemed to be astatic object in response to an average second velocity.
 7. An apparatuscomprising: an antenna for receiving a first plurality of radar echoesindicating a first target point, a second target point, a third targetpoint, and a fourth target point and a second plurality of radar echoes;a memory for storing a tracking list; and a processor for determining afirst velocity associated with the first target point, a second velocityassociated with the second target point, a third velocity associatedwith the third target point, and a fourth velocity associated with thefourth target point, establishing a first cluster in response to thefirst velocity and the second velocity being similar and the firsttarget point and the second target point having a close proximity,establishing a second cluster in response to the third velocity and thefourth velocity being similar and the third target point and the fourthtarget point having a close proximity, the processor further operativeto add the first cluster and the second cluster to the tracking list,and to tracking the first cluster and the second cluster in response toa second plurality of radar echoes.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 whereinthe first velocity indicates a first direction and a first speed, thesecond velocity indicates a second direction and a second speed, thethird velocity indicates a third direction and a third speed, and thefourth velocity indicates a fourth direction and a fourth speed.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 7 wherein the first velocity and the second velocitybeing similar is indicated by an average first velocity and an averagesecond velocity being the same over a time duration.
 10. The apparatusof claim 7 wherein the first target point and the second target pointbeing proximate is indicated by an average distance over a timeduration.
 11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first target pointand the second target point are deemed proximate in response to anaverage first velocity and an average second velocity.
 12. The apparatusof claim 7 wherein the first cluster is deemed to be a dynamic object inresponse to an average first velocity and the second object is deemed tobe a static object in response to an average second velocity.
 13. Anradar apparatus comprising: a transmitter for transmitting a firstplurality of radar pulses and a second plurality of radar pulses; areceiver for receiving a first plurality of radar echoes correspondingto a plurality of object detection points, the receiver furtheroperative to receive a second plurality of radar echoes; a clusterprocessor for determining a location and a velocity for each of theplurality of object detection points and for determining a first clusterfrom at least one of the plurality of object detection points and fordetermining a second cluster from at least one other of the plurality ofobject detection points wherein the first cluster and the second clusterare determined in response to the location and the velocity of each ofthe plurality of object detection points; a memory for storing a firstvelocity and a first location associated with the first cluster and asecond velocity and a second location associated with the secondcluster; and a tracking processor for accessing the memory and trackingthe first cluster and the second cluster and for updating the firstvelocity and the first location and the second velocity and the secondlocation in response to the second plurality of radar echoes.
 14. Theradar apparatus of claim 13 wherein the velocity for each of theplurality of object detection points indicates a direction and a speed.15. The radar apparatus of claim 13 wherein the velocity of each of theplurality of object detection points is determined in response to anaverage of the velocity for each of the plurality of object detectionpoints.
 16. The radar apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first cluster isdetermined in response to at least two velocities and at least twolocations of at least two of the plurality of object detection points.17. The radar apparatus of claim 13 wherein the at least two locationsof at least two of the plurality of object detection points are deemedproximate in response to least two velocities of at least two of theplurality of object detection points.
 18. The radar apparatus of claim13 wherein the first cluster is deemed to be a dynamic object inresponse to an average first velocity of the first cluster and thesecond object is deemed to be a static object in response to an averagesecond velocity of the second cluster.
 19. The radar apparatus of claim13 wherein the first cluster is determined in response to a firstlocation of a first object detect point and a first velocity of thefirst object detection point and a second location of a second objectdetect point and a second velocity of the second object detection point.20. The radar apparatus of claim 13 wherein the tracking processor isfurther operative to determine if the first cluster is a dynamic object.